Woman Telling Half-Sibling Not to Think They're Real Sisters Splits Views

A teenage girl has sparked a heated debate online after revealing that she doesn't want a relationship with her half-sister, recently leaving her in tears outside of their school.

In a post shared on Reddit in January under the username u/GirlUnderBoat, the 15-year-old explained that she was born after her mom had an affair with another man, but her husband forgave her and raised her as his child.

Meanwhile, the other man was engaged to a woman who was pregnant with his baby too, but as soon as she learned about the affair she left him and moved to another town before the child was even born.

According to the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), men are generally more likely than women to cheat, in fact, their data shows that 20 percent of men and 13 percent of women reported sleeping with someone other than their spouse while married.

The poster continued by saying that when her parents told her the truth, she learned about her half-sister, Jane, too, but she didn't really care.

A few weeks ago, Jane, who is a grade lower than the poster, moved in with her dad, and registered at the same school as hers, and since she's learned who she is, she "just won't leave [her] alone."

"She's kept asking me to come over, telling me how 'our dad' won't stop talking about me, how we can do all the stuff that sisters do and so much other c***. I've let her down gently each time," she added.

The poster was recently suspended from school for having an argument with her half-sister, leaving her in tears outside of their school.

"Her dad sent her cousin to pick her up for a dentist appointment and he sent him in a Porsche. She asked me to come with her because 'it'll be nice having my sister there with me.' I don't want people knowing she's my sister. So, I got mad and told her to screw off and stop thinking of us as that. Of course, she cried and now I'm suspended and writing this from home.

"The vice-principal said it's because I made her cry at school before she had to visit the orthodontist/dentist, so I made a stressful leave even worse for her."

Reckless Behavior

Soula Hareas, a licensed mental health counselor at McNulty Counseling and Wellness, told Newsweek that the two girls absolutely share no blame in the reckless behavior of the adults.

She said: "It is truly sad when children have to pay the price for the mistakes that adults make. The adults in this situation need to step up and intervene. The reactions of the girls are natural given the circumstances but I also wonder what stories these girls have been told by the adults regarding the situation. It doesn't sound like any of the adults wanted to take responsibility in this situation and took the easy route of pointing fingers and blaming each other."

According to Hareas, what has happened in the past can't be undone and many times people get so traumatized or hurt that they get stuck and fixated.

"These girls were brought together by unfortunate circumstances but it is not their responsibility to rectify it. In this situation not only do I believe they need to go see a counselor all together to get it all out and allow the girls a safe space to process and ask questions but, I also believe that the parents in this situation need some parent consultation sessions so that they can get ahead of any issues and learn how to co-parent and exist in the same school district.

Hareas, says that the older girl is blaming the younger one because she's right in front of her and is fearful to accept the fact that parents make mistakes and aren't flawless.

"The anger is misplaced and hopefully as she gets older and becomes more mature she will realize this. There are so many families that have these types of issues and as the children become adults sometimes they get along better when their parents are not around or out of the picture. As the girls grow up they will understand that things are not always black and white and that having a sister no matter how it happened could be a blessing, not a curse."

Viral Post

The post, originally shared on the r/AmItheA****** subreddit, where users discuss their actions with online strangers, has gone viral, receiving over 6,400 upvotes and 2,700 comments.

One user, Saltynut99, commented: "[None's the A******]. You're both young and in a very complicated situation. I can totally understand why you wouldn't feel the need to know someone that you don't feel any connection to. It's different than growing up in a house with a sibling. On the other hand, I don't blame Jane for wanting a relationship with you. The poor girl's mom was cheated on by your shared biological father. I can understand why she would try to see the little bit of positive that at least she gets a sister out of it.

Have you talked to your mom and dad about it? I definitely don't think you have to have a relationship with anyone you don't want to, but maybe they can help you find a kinder way to explain it to Jane and close the book on that issue."

And No_Communication4989, said: "[You're The A******]. Holy s*** your comments are awful. Don't worry, she won't want a relationship with you soon. Your behavior is gross."

Frosty-Mall4727 wrote. She is for sure wrong as heck, but high school kids don't always manage things like this very well. She's using her words and politely saying no. Finally, she snapped. Of course, she would — no adult put appropriate space between them to figure out what a relationship looks like.

Another user, dinosauragency said: "OP is 15. Considering her circumstances, being kind to Jane the first 100 times and then snapping once doesn't make her an awful person. Both kids have been let down by s*** parents."

Lovebeingadad54321 wrote: "She said she REPEATEDLY let her down gently, but Jane keeps persisting on making this non-relationship a relationship... Jane is being creepy and inappropriate."

Newsweek wasn't able to verify the details of the case.